


Fight Club

by IfInsanityWasSane



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drug Addiction, Ellie is a recovering junkie too, F/F, F/M, Fighting, Idk if this is dumb or not help, Illegal Activities, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Drug Addiction, Past Rape/Non-con, Rape/Non-con Elements, bless her beautiful heart, ellie is such a baddie, illegal boxing, literally has no plot, where am i going with this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:40:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26151283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IfInsanityWasSane/pseuds/IfInsanityWasSane
Summary: Ellie Williams was a fighter. Always has been, always will be. And when her adoptive father, Joel, took notice of her keen interest in fighting.. he literally became her underground fight club coach.Not sure how often this will be updated, or even if you guys want me to continue this. Might be kinda a weird concept idk.
Relationships: Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Dina/Jesse (The Last of Us)
Comments: 38
Kudos: 164





	1. Ellie - Curiosity is Obnoxious

“ELLIE WILLIAMS!” The ref screamed to the excited audience around the ring. It was a small ring, maybe a 10 by 10. It didn’t necessarily need to be large anyways, just enough room for two people to kick the shit out of each other for money. 

The ‘ref’ stood in the middle, holding Ellie’s wrist far above her head in one hand, and in the other, the wrist of the component. He took a step back, giving a thumbs up to the two fighters, before announcing it.

“YOU KNOW THE RULES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THERE _ARE_ NONE!” The man laughed and hopped out of the ring. The audience laughed back, raising their fists and yelling their bets. 

The red head took a quick look around at the crowd, locking eyes for a moment with a blonde haired girl who’s.. boyfriend, maybe, was talking over excitedly about how this was some ‘real shit’ and ‘not staged’. And while his excitement was obnoxious, he was right. This was real fucking shit. She looked down at her own clothes, wearing her grey Nike sports bra and pair of black gym shorts. No shoes permitted. 

_ “FIGHT!” _

Ellie looked up, locking eyes with her opponent next. He was tall, maybe 6’2. Dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes. He was scrawny, looked like a scrapper who wasn’t really confident in what he was doing and just wanted some quick cash. When Ellie took in his clumsy stance, knees far too straight, shaking arms that weren’t even blocking his body, she knew the fight was already hers. 

Might as well let him get the first hit. Or, at least try.

He came charging, raising his fist for a right jab. Which was stupid, really. She could easily deflect by grabbing his wrist, pulling him forward, and connecting her knee with his stomach. Which was exactly what Ellie did. She finished it by pulling his wrist even harder to catch him off balance to the point where he couldn’t save himself from falling. She took a step back, the boy on the ground panting, and holding his stomach with groans of pain. 

The ref almost got to seven when the boy stood up, his stance faltering even more. And this time, Ellie went for the hit. She took a quick step forward and when he raised his fist to punch her, she ducked, connected her fist with his jaw in an uppercut, left another blow in his ribs with her left fist, and stepped back again. This was easy shit. And Ellie planned on making this a quick round anyways, tomorrow was her first day in her new school after being kicked out of her old one for.. well, fighting. Which didn’t come as a surprise to Joel when he found out, he simply just shook his head and let out a quiet laugh, but made her promise to keep the fighting to a minimum in her new school. And she agreed. 

She was torn from her thoughts when a heavy fist connected with the side of her temple and she tumbled back, clutching at her forehead. Fuck. For someone so skinny, that kid hit hard. He had potential. Everything was spinning, too fast. She blinked a few times, the world around her finally coming to a hard stop and Ellie made eye contact with him again. He swung again, this time his gloved fist blew into the side of her jaw. 

That was all it took for Ellie to get her head into the game, she raised her fists in front of her face, a rather animalistic look taking over her features. She grabbed the blonde’s head, bringing her knee up in time for her to force his head down and connect his nose with her knee. The crowd was silent. A sickening crunch came. The boy collapsed, pulling his gloves off to hold his crooked and blood spurting nose. He seemed to be crying. Forget it, this kid had no potential.

When the taste of iron became too overpowering in her mouth, she turned her head to the side and spat, more blood than saliva coming out. The auburn girl gave a small grin to the audience after the boy was counted out and the ref tumbled into the ring to announce the victory. 

“ _WILLIAMS WINS! LOOKS LIKE SHE’LL BE KEEPING HER ALL-TIME WINNING STREAK!_ ” The ref screamed, holding her first in the air. “LEVI IS _DOWN!_ ”

-

Ellie wasn’t even sure how she managed to make it through all of her classes before lunch without falling asleep halfway through. But she managed, even with the incessant whispering that followed her down the halls. She could only assume kids were spreading rumors about her. After all, the new kid who didn’t seem interested in talking to another living person had apparently been expelled from her old school for fighting? Mysterious enough for gossip. 

She yawned, sitting down at an empty table and deciding a quick power nap would be nice. Ellie leaned forward, resting her head on her arms as a pillow and closed her eyes. And honestly, she was just about to drift into sleep when two seats in front of her shook from the weight of being sat down in. She groaned internally, hoping she could get away with pretending to sleep.

“So, are the rumors true?” An excited male voice asked, followed by a quiet ‘ow’ and ‘what was that for?’.

The question prompted Ellie to sit up, leaning on her elbows while she looked at the pair in front of her. The male was Asian with dark swooping hair and a small mustache starting to form above his top lip. He had broad shoulders and looked relatively fit. The other one, a female, had similarly colored dark hair, olive skin, and a strong nose. A sea of freckles covered her face like stars in the galaxy. Ellie thought that girl may just be the most beautiful one she’s ever seen.

“ _Jesse! Don’t ask like that!_ ” The girl whisper-yelled, at the guy, who’s name was apparently Jesse.

“Sorry! _Sorry_.. just curious..” Jesse mumbled, pouting slightly before his attention returned to Ellie. “But.. are they true?” The eagerness immediately seeped back into his voice. Ellie could only stare at him with clear annoyance. 

“Excuse me?” She asked firmly, but not because she didn’t know there were rumors, she just didn’t know what they were quite about. 

“It’s- just.. there’s-“ He rambled, clearly intimidated by Ellie’s strong tone and cold eyes. 

“It’s just that he’s curious, I mean, we’re _both_ curious. The _whole_ school is. Rumor has it, you’re some sort of.. _delinquent_? Who was kicked out of her old school for being too violent. But _honestly_ , you don’t look like the type.” The girl beside him interrupted, and boy, her voice was more beautiful than Ellie could’ve even imagined. It was soothing, calm, and sweet. 

“Yeah, yeah! What Dina said..” Jesse mumbled, obviously a little embarrassed. 

Ellie looked away from Jesse and back at the beautiful girl, Dina, across from her.

“And if they _are_?” She challenged, raising her scarred eyebrow. 

But, before Dina got the chance to answer, a loud bell cut her off to signify the start of the next class. Students filed out of the cafeteria.Ellie stood, ignoring the sputters from Jesse who tried to get her to wait for them, and followed the crowd through double doors.


	2. Dina - Not so Troublesome

The new student was.. _something_. That’s the only word Dina would use to try to describe the mysterious girl. And trouble. She was trouble. The way she responded when being asked about the rumors.. it was the equivalent to putting a sign on her back with the words ‘ _I’M ONLY TROUBLE AND DRAMA_ ’ to Dina. But.. when she uttered those four words, ‘ _and if they are?_ ’, Dina couldn’t help but feel pure fucking attraction to the girl’s voice. It was rough, low, and confident. She was trouble.

“..na-. _Dina!_ ” An elbow was nudged into her ribs and she looked over, being pulled from her thoughts immediately. Sitting next to her in the lunch room was one of her all time best friends, Maddie. 

“Sorry, sorry.” The black haired girl mumbled, rubbing her eyes with a yawn. She didn’t get much sleep last night. She spent most of her night staring up at the ceiling with a certain new student in mind, who’s name she only got today. Ellie Williams. How can someone’s _name_ even be attractive?

“Did you even sleep last night? You look like dog shit. Seriously, like the fucking circles under your eyes make you look like you just crawled out of a trash can like the raccoon you are.” Maddie deadpanned, giving Dina a look. Dina had always been grateful for her friend’s brutal honesty, but this was one of many times that it was a little too much.

“Just-.. shush.” She rolled her eyes, looking down at her lunch tray.

“What do you guys think of the new girl?” Jesse asked, snaking his arm around Dina’s shoulders.

“I think.. I’m gonna ask her out. She’s kinda hot.” Trevor, an absolute idiot and jock who sat on the other side of Jesse, mumbled sheepishly.

“Dude! No way! Have you heard the rumors?!” Jesse practically gasped, completely taken off guard by his friend’s suggestion.

“And she’s gay.” Dina and Maddie deadpanned in unison, looked at each other, then proceeded to burst into a large fit of giggles for no other reason than speaking at the same time. 

“What!? No way. How do you even know that? Did you talk to her again without me or something?” Jesse looked at Dina with interest, trying to gauge her knowledge of Ellie.

Dina scoffed with a short laugh.

“No. And I don’t need to. Look at what she’s wearing, dude. A flannel? With the T-shirt underneath? The knee rips on her jeans that obviously weren’t bought like that? The Converse?”

And she was right. Sitting a few tables down from the group was Ellie, wearing her gay ass flannel. It was a red flannel that was buttoned, except for four on the top, with the collar of a black T-shirt sticking out. This girl was not straight. 

“Looks aside,” Maddie interjected, “five guys asked her out today. _Five_. Like, the hottest guys in the school and she said no. _To every. Single. One._ ” 

“See? Totally gay.” Dina hummed, giving Trevor a ‘told you so’ look.

“You know what? Watch this. I’ll show _you_ who’s gay.” Trevor grumbled angrily and stood up, walking down the row of tables until he was in front of Ellie’s and cleared his throat.

“What do you want?” Ellie put her book down, ‘ _Space Cadets_ ’, with clear annoyance and looked up at Trevor.

“So, you like space, huh? Well, _you’re_ the center of my universe.” Trevor stated with a satisfied smirk and overconfident tone.

“Do you even know what’s at the center of the universe?”

“Uh.. mm.. the.. sun?” He scratched the back of his neck, all confidence lost.

“There is no center. Get the fuck outta here.” Ellie scoffed, picking her book back up.

The table was bursting out in laughter was Trevor walked back with his head down, arms crossed over his chest. Jesse’s face was bright red, tears streaming down his face as he practically wheezed. Most of the table looked the same, including Dina.

“Trevor! You’re an idiot!” Jesse said between laughs, gasping for breath. 

“What the fuck even was that?! ‘ _You’re the center of my universe_ ’, that’s so stupid!” Maddie teased the boy as he sat back down, the group finally starting to catch their breath again.

“Shut up.” He grumbled angrily, a scowl on his face. “This isn’t over, Williams.”

-

After lunch, Dina found Ellie in the hall, staring down at a phone in her hands with earbuds in. She looked like she was in her own world. And Dina would kill to be part of that world. 

Carefully, she approached Ellie and the wall she was leaning against and lightly tapped the taller girl’s shoulder. Her eyes snapped up form her phone and onto Dina’s, carefully pulling an earbud out.

“Can I help you?” She asked, raising a scarred eyebrow. 

Fuck. She should’ve at least thought about what she wanted to say.

“Hey.” Dina started nervously, which was weird because Dina was never nervous. 

“Hi.”

“Just- uh.. what you said to Trevor at lunch. It was pretty funny. And I heard about the way you shut down the other guys who asked. You’re pretty funny.” Dina gave her a smile.

“Yeah?” Ellie grinned. Dina swore it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. “Well, I kinda have a talent in turning guys down.” 

The black haired girl took a small step closer. 

“And what about girls?” She asked, her voice a little lower than before.

Ellie’s face turned to a bright red and it was clear she was trying to compose herself before responding. 

“Not so much.” She said with a shy grin.

“Good.” And Dina didn’t know why she said that. She was straight. Right?

Ellie almost choked, having to advert her eyes for a moment. 

“I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself before, but, I’m Dina.” She held her hand out in front of her for a handshake.

“Ellie.” The girl slowly reached up, taking Dina’s hand in her own in a firm grip. Dina almost swooned. Handshakes are not allowed to be attractive.

“You should sit with us tomorrow at lunch. Maybe educate Trevor a bit more about space.” Dina gave her a small smile.

“Yeah. I’d like that.” Ellie returned the smile before the next bell rung through the halls.

“I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah.” Ellie waved before jogging down the hall so she wasn’t late.

Dina could only stand there for a moment, thinking back to her nervous grin and the way she confidently carried herself. And it was at that moment Dina decided that there was no way any of the rumors were true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was genuinely so surprised and happy when I read through the comments on the first chapter. Thank you for the support. I hope the chapter won’t always be so short, but I’m starting school again tomorrow so I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to work on this.


	3. Ellie - Like Father, Like Daughter

* * *

_Dina. Dina. Dina. Pretty, kind, warm, Dina._ She spoke with the shorter girl for just the second time today, this interaction going much better than the last. Ellie had to stop herself from squeaking out of excitement in the middle of class. _Dina fucking Cohen_ had asked _Ellie_ to come to lunch with her tomorrow. 

As the last bell of the day rang and she pushed herself out of her seat and down the halls, out the doors, and onto the sidewalk, Dina occupied her mind.

She was _so_ pretty. The word beautiful was an understatement. Maybe _breathtaking_ was more accurate. 

But then all those wonderful thoughts came to an aching, halting stop. What would happen when she heard the rumors? No - she'd already heard them. She _literally asked about them._ What would happen when she eventually realized just how _true_ those rumors were? She would never speak to Ellie again. She would regret ever reaching out to become her friend. 

And as Ellie approached her and Joel's small house, she made a decision. One that would surely save her from an oncoming heartbreak. Dina Cohen was to be avoided. It would only hurt them both in the end if Ellie stuck around. Who wants to be friends with a hooligan and savage like Ellie Williams, anyways?

-

The next day when lunch came around, Ellie tried to become invisible. Which was difficult, considering the whispers that followed her presence around the school like a virus. She kept her head down and hands in her pockets as she speedwalked through the school. Until she walked into a green wall. That was shorter than she was. And alive and breathing. _And that green wall was not a green wall._ It was _Dina_ wearing a tight, evergreen long-sleeved shirt with tight black jeans. God, she was so pretty. And breathtaking. And wonderful. And too good for Ellie.

"Ellie? Where are you going? The cafeteria is in the complete _opposite_ direction. Didn't someone give you a tour?" She asked the taller girl with a teasing, but kind tone. And that damned smile. 

"Right- no. I knew that," the girl rambled, desperately scraping her mind for a quick excuse, "but I have a.. _Thing_. A _thing_ with Ms. Winters. For art." The redhead rubbed the back of her neck, desperately hoping her bullshit excuse was adequate.

"Really now? That's funny cause Ms. Winters is absent today. And you already passed her room about.. _Five doors ago_." Dina's grin only broadened and there was something in her eyes that Ellie could only describe as mischievous.

Ellie stuttered, her face only turning more red by the second.

" _But_ ," Dina started with a dramatic sigh "if you insist on dipping on my friends and I, then I'm dipping with you."

The next thing she knew, Ellie was being dragged down the hall with a small hand wrapped securely around her wrist.

"Hurry it up, Beanpole. I'd expect someone with such spider legs to be much faster when walking." Dina glanced back at Ellie, that same grin on her face. _So much for avoiding her._

"Yeah, yeah. If i walked at my true speed, you'd be left in the dust with those stubby legs." Ellie retorted, blushing slightly at the sudden nickname.

Wonderful, breathtaking, beautiful Dina was almost holding her hand. Her hands were smooth and soft and Ellie couldn't help but feel a little self conscious about her larger, rougher, and calloused hands. Calloused and rough from her violent second life. And her junkie high school years. But this high school was a second chance. _Maybe_ she could do her senior year right.

Dina must've noticed her sudden change in mood since she stopped to walk at Ellie's pace, silently linking their fingers. Dina Cohen was too touchy. And yet, she didn't pull her hand away.

"Come on, I know a nice place that's actually on campus. And it's pretty quiet there too. You look like the type of person who likes quiet." Dina rambled and it was then, that Ellie noticed, she seemed to be talking more to herself than to Ellie. But still, she found herself walking a bit faster to accommodate the shorter girl's adorable impatience. 

"Care to explain why you didn't go to lunch with us?" Dina loosened her tight grip around Ellie's hand as they walked through the building's doors.

"I told you. I had a thing with Mr. Barnett." Ellie spoke as confidently as she could. Until she realized her massive fuck up. It was gonna seem like she didn't want to be around Dina. And God, that was so far from the truth. Ellie wanted nothing more than to be around Dina.

"Oh? So it was Ms. Winters and _now_ it's Mr. Barnett?"

Ellie could only offer a sheepish grin in response.

"You're a real mystery, Williams. And you're also lucky that I don't hold grudges. _Sometimes_." Dina spoke in a voice that was stern but teasing. And it made Ellie's heart flutter like a pining fool.

"..thanks?"

"You're welcome." She sounded way too self assured. "Where are you from? You're _definitely_ not from Jackson."

The shorter girl led the pair down a sidewalk that was sparsely populated. She was right, it was quiet. Then she dragged Ellie to a wooden bench that faced a small forest.

"Boston."

"What town?"

"Brookline."

"You like it there? _Miss_ it?"

"Nope."

They sat down on the singular bench and, much to Ellie's disappointment, Dina let go of her hand. The other girl turned and looked at Ellie very seriously. Ellie looked back.

"What is this? Some sort of interrogation?" She was starting to lose patience with the girl's seemingly endless stream of questions. If Dina picked up on Ellie's irritation, she didn't show it. She only grinned up at her.

"Actually, it is. So start answering, or I'll have to arrest you. My dad's a cop."

Ellie groaned. More than anything, she hated talking about herself. It made her feel overly self conscious.

"Fine. Repeat your question."

"Why don't you miss Boston?"

"Got a lot of bad memories there." She answered, purposely vague. Ellie was _not_ about to go into her own personal trauma, especially not with some stranger. And this time, Dina picked up on her discomfort.

"Hm. Okay."

_ "Okay?" _

"Yeah. Okay." Dina had a small smile on her face and the two went silent, turning to face the beautiful wilderness in front of them. 

The silence wasn't uncomfortable, nor was it awkward. It felt right. Dina seemed to feel that way as well, judging by the content look that plastered her features. And they were quiet for a long while, before Ellie finally spoke up again. She figured she should make it seem like she wanted the conversation as much as Dina did.

"Where are you from?" She glanced at Dina for a short moment, until their eyes met, then looked back to the treeline.

"New Mexico. Grew up there for most of my life with my sister, but my mom passed when I was fourteen. Then my dad made the quick decision to move. _To start new. To leave the past in the past_. That's what he said, at least."

Ellie wasn't expecting that. She wasn't sure if the surprise was evident on her face or not. But she felt as though, if only a little, she could relate to Dina. Her mom passed too.

"Oh. I'm uh-.. I'm sorry for your loss, Dina. Thanks for telling me." The green eyed girl reached over, giving Dina's knee a comforting squeeze before retracting her hand.

"What about you? Who do you live with?" This Dina girl really does ask a lot of questions.

"I live with my, uh.. Joel. My adoptive father."

"And what about your real parents? If you don't mind me asking."

"Well, my mom is dead. And my dad," Ellie pauses, the slowly healing wound being ripped open again, "he's a junkie. I don't know where he is." 

_Like father, like daughter._

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"I think lunch is almost over.. Thanks for talking with me, Ellie." She offered the taller girl a genuine smile, both moving to their feet.

"Thanks for letting me. Let me walk you to class?" Maybe it was a little too intimate for someone she just met, but Ellie couldn't find it in her to stop herself from asking.

"Sure." And then _that_ smile came back. That smile that made Ellie feel like she was just swept off her feet. And she smiled back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay in this chapter. It was meant to be up much sooner, but i've been hospitalized for the last two weeks after an attempted OD. Thank you all for your kind words and immense support, it truly makes me happy.


	4. Dina - Am I in Love?

September went by far too quickly, same with October, and now it was November. Dina had become increasingly close friends with Ellie, always finding herself missing the taller girl's presence. But as time went by, Ellie seemed to be distancing herself. When Dina asked to hang out on the weekends, she usually gave the excuse that she was busy helping Joel. And on the few occasions that she would agree, her knuckles were always a dark purple and red color. Dina couldn't help but wonder if the girl was in trouble, or if she really just didn't want to see Dina.

But today, much to Dina's delight, Ellie had said yes to hanging out. 

As if on cue, a knock came to Dina's apartment door. She moved into an apartment as soon as she legally could, she enjoyed her father's company, but it was overbearing. So she moved out, but agreed to stay close to home. 

She opened the door, met with a certain tall girl with green eyes and red hair.

"Hey." Ellie said with that lopsided grin. That heart fluttering, lopsided grin. _Damn this girl._

"Do you _ever_ dress for the weather?" Dina rolled her eyes as she let Ellie in. The auburn girl was wearing just a black t-shirt and her usual ripped jeans. Even though today was particularly cold for November.

"You said it yourself. I'm a human furnace. I don't even know what being cold feels like -- never felt it once. It's not my fault that you're not as adv-"

Ellie was cut off by a firm finger to her lips. 

"Shut it, Beanpole."

She's adorable when she rants like that.

"I like the tattoos." Dina continued, a fond smile on her face as her eyes wandered appreciatively over the heavy ink that covered her right forearm and up to her shoulder. It obviously covered something though, judging by the way the skin looked warped under the ink. It wasn't quite right.

Ellie's face was a bright red. She was finally able to convince herself to stop covering her arms when she met Dina. But this was the first time she let Dina see her full arm. And besides, the skin popping scars are covered by ink. She wouldn't even pay much attention to them.

"Uh thanks.. Cat did them." She muttered sheepishly, reaching a hand up to rub the back of her neck.

"Who's Cat?" Dina had never heard Ellie mention anyone named Cat. She certainly would've known someone with a name like that.

"My ex back in Boston." The way Ellie said it so nonchalantly, like the girl no longer mattered to her, made Dina's heart drop. If they were to date and break up, would Ellie no longer care about her?

_I don't think life is quite worth living if Ellie Williams doesn't care about me._

It's a morbid thought, yes, but Ellie _fucking_ Williams is a powerful storm. A storm so powerful that she's broken down each and every wall Dina had ever put up to protect herself. Powerful enough to even make Dina fall head over heels for her, even if she was already dating Jesse. Just in a matter of months. Ellie Williams is powerful, whether she realizes that or not.

"You wanna watch a movie?" Ellie offers when Dina doesn't respond to her last statement. 

"Only if I get to choose. Titanic." And she grins, knowing she's made Ellie watch that movie five times already. Then her gaze flicks down to bruised and cut knuckles.

_I'll ask about her hands this time. I will._

"Ya know, if i had to guess, you only keep making me watch that movie cause you like using my precious clothing as a tissue. Considering how you cr-"

_ "Shut it." _

" _Cry_ every time we watch it. It's okay, really, just shows that you're, you know, _sensitive_ -"

"I'm gonna punch you."

"Are you sure you won't be too busy crying?"

"Shut up, Williams. I might be sensitive, but I'm a black belt in karate."

"Sure you don't mean black belt in _crying_ ?"

Dina shoots her a glare that contains no malice and smiles as they fall back into their easy banter, both girls moving to sit on the couch.

_I'll just ask her next time._

-

Halfway through the movie, Dina isn't quite sure how her head ended up on Ellie's shoulder when they both sat on opposite ends of the couch at the start of the movie. But maybe that's just why their friendship is so special. The way they're constantly gravitating towards one another and would never admit it. Dina could never feel quite secure unless she was touching Ellie in one way or another. The pull that Ellie Williams inflicted upon Dina Cohen would never quite make sense to either girls.

Dina's eyes moved from the Tv screen in front of them, to the face of the broad-shouldered girl she leaned against, only to find a pair of green eyes already on her. Ellie blushed and looked away, clearing her throat quietly.

"Were you just _staring_ at me?"

"No-"

"I could've _sworn_ that you were just-"

"Nope."

"Are you sure? Cause that definitely seemed like you were just looking at me for an unprecedented amount of time."

_ "Dina-" _

"It's totally okay if you were, i can't even blame you-"

_"Okay._ _Yeah_ . I was staring at you." Ellie said in such a firm tone that made both girls lock eyes.

Dina could only stare back in silence, taken aback by the tall girl's sudden confession.

"I was just staring to figure out how you got so much uglier since the last time I saw you." Ellie said smugly, that lopsided grin adorning her features.

_ "I hate you." _

"You love me."

_I do._

-

By the end of the movie, just as Ellie had predicted, Dina was clutching tightly at the hem of her shirt and sobbing into her chest. 

"He just-... _They_ ," Dina mumbled, overwhelmed by another sob, "loved each other.. _So_ much.."

"She _clearly_ could have made room for Jack on that stupid door. Rose obviously didn't like him." As cruel as Ellie pretended to be in that moment, she still wrapped a reassuring and comforting arm around Dina's shoulders. Her thumb rubbed an idle circle on the shorter girl's bicep.

Dina lifted her head from Ellie's chest and scowled at her through tears in a way that made Ellie want to laugh. 

_"You just don't get it."_ Dina glared, quickly returning her face to Ellie's chest just so she could feel the way her chest vibrates when she spoke.

" _Get_ what? Cause what I clearly _get_ is that Rose could have easily slid over to make room for Jack."

"I'm inclined to believe that you have no heart and feel no emotion, Ellie Williams." Dina mumbled, finally composing herself.

"You're absolutely right. How did you know?" Ellie said in a monotone voice, clearly her best attempt at sounding robotic.

Dina laughed, rolled her eyes, and lifted her head from Ellie's chest.

"You're annoying, Ms. Robot Williams."

"Ms? It's Mrs to you." Ellie said with a glare and a fake stern voice. "I'm _married_ . Obviously."

"Oh yeah? Married to who?"

"My microwave. Bertha." Ellie said this with such seriousness and finality, Dina had to process it for a few moments before she burst out with laughter, rolling her eyes.

"I'm seriously going to murder you." Dina shook her head as she stood from the couch, offering her hand to help Ellie up. They both knew she wouldn't need it. But she took it anyway. Ellie's hand was so warm, it was veering towards burning hot. But it was simply comforting to Dina. 

"I'm hungry." Ellie said flatly.

"That's no surprise, considering how skinny you are. _Beanpole_."

"Shut up. McDonald's?"

"Only if you're paying."

"Wha-"

"Aw, thanks, El. You're such a sweetheart." Dina grinned, reaching up to pinch Ellie's cheek.

"I hate you. And you sound like my grandma."

"Does Bertha know how rude you are?"

-

When they pulled up to the drive-through window to grab their food and Ellie was halfway out the window trying to grab the bag of food, Dina slammed her hand on the horn. Ellie shrieked, jumping and hitting her head on the window as she leaned back into the car.

_"I fucking hate you._ _."_ Ellie grumbled, only fueling the laughter that erupted from Dina. The shorter girl's face was a bright red, tears streaming down her cheeks as wheezed.

Ellie rolled her eyes, pulling out of the drive-through and turning in the opposite direction of Dina's apartment. 

"Uh, El? Wrong way. Stupid." Dina grinned, reaching over to turn the radio on.

"We're not going back to your apartment yet, _stupid_. I'm taking you to a spot."

"A _spot_? Have you always been this vague, or is it just recently?"

"Gotta keep it vague so you don't catch on."

"Catch on to what?"

"That I'm taking you out to a secluded place so I can murder you for that stunt in the drive-through."

"Well," Dina paused, thinking about her next words for a moment, "at least you bought me dinner first."

-

Ellie didn't lie, as her old truck pushed on over the dirt road, Dina realized it was a secluded spot. She almost swooned when Ellie's truck stopped at a large lake, the setting Sun's colors reflecting vividly against the water in a beautiful chaos of colors.

"You know, I didn't think you were serious about killing me, but now I understand that you were." 

And then, Dina realized Ellie's true intentions that explained why the tall girl slapped Dina's hand away from the bag of food every time she reached for it. Ellie wanted to eat dinner in front of a beautiful sunset and lake. It was a strangely intimate and romantic act on Ellie's end, but Dina felt like she was on cloud nine with her head in the stars.

_Am I in love?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter came out a little quicker, only because I intend to make up for the lost chapter that I could have written in the last two weeks. Thank you all for your understanding


	5. Ellie - Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: DRUG ADDICTION/WITHDRAWL, RAPE

* * *

Ellie grabbed the bag and hopped out of the truck, motioning for Dina to do the same as she walked around to the bed, popping the trunk.

"Ellie, this is.. actually really nice." Dina smiled as she followed Ellie, both girls moving to sit in the bed of the truck.

_You're pretty nice too._

"Woah, don't get your hopes up. I'm still murdering you after this. I'm pretty sure there's a goddamn bump on the back of my head the size of Mt. Everest." 

Dina grinned, bumping her shoulder against Ellie's. The two ate in silence as the sun slowly lowered in the horizon and with that, the temperature also lowered. 

"El, I don't want to go home yet, but it's getting cold." Dina mumbled, hugging her arms to herself.

"Mhm," Ellie nodded, wrapping her arm around Dina's shoulders, "I have a flannel in the backseat, want me to grab it?"

"Yes, please." Dina murmured like a tired toddler who was forced to remember their manners as Ellie jumped from the bed and walked away to find the flannel.

Ellie came back a moment later, tossing the flannel into Dina's lap before sitting back down. She couldn't advert her eyes as Dina pulled it on, she looked absolutely stunning in it.

_You look better in it than I do_

"I know." Dina grinned, like all of her lost energy was just forced back into her body.

"Did I-"

"Yes."

_Oh fuck._

Ellie's face turned a bright red and she groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"Hey, El. What's happened to your hands? Your knuckles are always bruised when I see you." Dina asked with clear concern on her face as she turned to face Ellie, gently pulling the taller girl's hands from her face to examine them.

_ Oh fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck think _

"I just-.. Joel and I spar a lot together. Ya know, since it's getting so cold his dino bones can't handle it. Instead of doing uh, normal stuff outside." Ellie stumbled, hoping to every god that Dina would believe her shitty lie. In all actuality, that was only partly true. As winter comes, there are much less activities to focus yourself on so the fight club, Deeno's, gets a much larger audience so Ellie is forced to fight much more often for their entertainment.

"Hm. Okay." Dina nodded slowly. 

_ She doesn't believe me. I mean, who would? That was literally a horrible excuse.  _

Ellie scooted up, now sitting with her back against the truck. A moment later, Dina followed and tucked herself comfortably under Ellie's arm.

"I don't want to lose you, El." She mumbled, grabbing Ellie's arm and pulling it over her shoulders.

The auburn girl stared ahead at the sun, mulling her words over.

"I don't want to lose you either." She glanced down at Dina, who was now tracing the lines of her fern tattoo quietly.

"What do they mean?"

"The tattoos?"

"Mhm."

_That I'm an addict and I'm fucking ashamed of myself_.

"Just thought they looked cool." She shrugs, hoping her second lie wasn't was obvious as the last. 

Dina hummed in acknowledgement, nodding slightly.

"Can I stay at your place tonight?" Dina asked, raising her head to look at Ellie.

_ No. I'm worried that I won't be able to stop myself from doing something I regret. _

"Yeah, sure. No problem. You wanna head over now?"

"Mhm."

Ellie got up, pushing herself out of the truck then held a hand out for Dina to take.

"Come on, stupid. You look exhausted." Ellie grinned when Dina took her hand and pulled her out of the truck.

-

The ride back to Ellie and Joel's house was quiet, the radio playing softly to fill an already comfortable silence.

"You're never getting this flannel back." Dina mumbled half asleep with her head against the window, clutching the shirt around her body as though it would disappear if she loosened her grip on it. 

And that was fine with Ellie. Even though it was two sizes too big for Dina and the sleeves hung past her finger tips, she still looked absolutely mesmerizing in it.

"That's okay. I have enough flannels anyways." Ellie smiled softly, turning the heat on.

Dina's breathing evened out and Ellie could tell she had fallen asleep. She glanced at the smaller girl, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Then, she pulled into their driveway, the lights in the window of the house glowing softly. She parked the truck and placed a gentle hand on Dina's shoulder.

"Hey, wake up. We're here." Ellie spoke softly, nudging her shoulder.

The sleepy girl rubbed her eyes, letting out an adorable yawn that Ellie only managed to hear because she opened Dina's door to let her out. But as always, Dina is a sucker for physical contact with Ellie. She stumbled out of the truck, swaying forward and wrapping her arounds firmly around Ellie's neck and burying her face into Ellie's neck.

_ She's so fucking cute. Oh my god.  _

"Come on, D. You're shaking. Plenty of time to be clingy inside." Ellie slowly shrugged the girl off of her, intertwining their fingers and pulling her into the house.

"Joel! Dina's staying over tonight, okay?" She called to the man watching Tv on the couch but didn't wait for his answer before jogging up the stairs with a tired Dina not far behind.

"Uh huh. No monkey business, kiddo." He grumbled, shaking his head as he read his book.

"Joel!" Ellie scowled at him through her wall when they walked in her room, rolling her eyes.

"You, uh, need anything to change into?" Ellie asked as Dina's eyes wandered over her art covered walls in awe.

"Just sweatpants."

Ellie shuffled through her closet until she found an older pair that she'd grown out of, which would surely fit Dina. Dina took them with a smile and a 'thank you, Beanpole' before shuffling into the bathroom to change.

Ellie took her chance to change into her well-worn black tank top. In some places, the bottom was frayed and the color was a brownish color, indicating bleach had been splashed on it at one point. She also put basketball shorts on which belonged to Joel at one point, but she' been 'borrowing' them for at least a year now. 

By the time Ellie was done changing, Dina was too. The shorter girl walked back into the room, the sweatpants pooling around her ankles.

_ Is there really that big of a size difference? _

"Those, uh, look a little big on you." Matched with the oversized flannel, Dina was practically drowning in fabric. 

-

That night with Dina curled up around her, Ellie dreamt of horrible things.

-

_ She was sitting at her desk drawing when her leg, usually firm on the ground to keep her hand steady, started bouncing up and down. Then, her nose started to run. Ellie wiped her nose desperately, well aware of the incoming terror.  _

_ Not again. I already fucking went through this. I can't do this again.  _

_ Then the cold sweats started, her whole body shivered even though it must have been 100 degrees in that room. She dropped her pencil on the paper, which as she leaned forward to see it, was a morbid fucking drawing. She thought she was drawing a family of giraffes, but in all actuality, it was Ellie herself, laying on the ground in an alleyway with a needle half empty, sticking out of her forearm. She lacked pupils, her eyes rolled into her head. _

_ That'll be me in a few fucking years, huh? _

_ Her chair disappeared and suddenly Ellie was convulsing, her whole body shuddering intensely. Then beside her, a steel bowl appeared by her side and she saw Joel sitting at the edge of her bed and watching her silently, a blank expression on his face.  _

_ She grabbed the bowl, vomiting an impossible amount of heroin needles up. _

_ "I'm ashamed ta' even call you my daughter." He screamed and his voice seemed to come from everywhere at once and nowhere at all.  _

_ I know, Joel. _

_ - _

_ David was on top of her, every movement agonizingly slow as he unzipped her old gray hoodie, belonging to her deceased best friend, Riley.  _

_ A good kicked his body off of Ellie's roughly and he groaned loudly, crashing to the side. _

_ "Are you all right, girl?" Joel's voice came and she looked up, smiling gratefully at Joel and started to get up, when an unseen force threw her back onto the ground. _

_ "Good. My turn." Suddenly his face was David's, but his voice still Joel's _

_ No no no no no no no _

_ Pure terror crashed through Ellie as she struggled uselessly, Joel slowly kneeling down next to her and putting his hands on Ellie's shoulders with a sick grin that Joel would never make.  _

-

"Ellie! Wake up!" A small hand shook Ellie' shoulder roughly and she sat up with a start and ready to fight whoever had touched her.

"Ellie. Jesus Christ. You were really fucking thrashing around." Dina's voice was heavy with sleep. Ellie felt horrible for waking the girl up.

"I just-.." She tried to catch her breath, "Sorry. I just have.. Really bad.. Nightmares." She barely managed through pants, her body slick with sweat and overheating. 

"It's okay. Let's, uh, let's go on a short walk to get you mind off of it, okay?" Dina rubbed circles on Ellie's back soothingly, grounding the girl.

Ellie started scratching her arm, uncontrollably. An old habit. Her short nails raked over the scars and the ink that covered them, slowly building pressure until red lines dragged down her arm.

"Ellie. Calm down. Okay? Just a nightmare." Dina used her other hand to grab Ellie's, intertwining their fingers in her lap.

_ It's not just a fucking nightmare. I'm an addict. This is fucking real. And I'm gonna drag you down with me.  _

"Dina-.. I'm so sorry." She gasped, her arm numb.

"Don't apologize, El. Come on, let's just go for a little walk, okay?"

_ Walk me to my dealer. _

"Okay." 

_I need to get high. I just want to feel something_.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So - I hope there weren't too many inaccuracies in this chapter, I tried my best to research withdrawl


	6. An Update

Firstly, I’d like to apologize for the lack of chapters after I said I would put out more. I got completely caught up in a multitude of things and forgot about updating. Secondly, I will start working on chapters again today. thank you all for understanding, you’re true homies 😌

**Author's Note:**

> Should i continue this? Or is it just a dud? I thought of the AU a few days ago and haven’t been able to get my mind off of it
> 
> Come bother me on Tumblr - @ifinsanitywassane


End file.
